Another Road
by ExtremeStormChaser
Summary: Keeping with the show premise of peacekeeping and science exploration set in the first two seasons, this story starts off following from the 2nd season finale "Splashdown" and continues from there. While some 3rd season aspects may come into play, the story will remain more science exploration than the canon military 3rd season.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I am going to be staying as close to canon as possible with characters, however I was not impressed with the direction they took the show in season 3. The show was supposed to be about peacekeeping and science exploration of the sea and going nearly strictly military for season 3 is why I think the show was cancelled halfway through...it went too much against what the show was about, so therefore I will keep season 1 and 2 as it is but while some aspects of season 3 might show up (like the Macronesian Confederation and how they were gone for 10 years), I'm going to stay true to the original concept of the show. This will be a long story with many chapters, as I'll be pretty much rewriting season 3.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

* * *

Captain Nathan Bridger woke up abruptly, exhausted and wet. He looked around and was disorientated to where he was. Last he remembered, the _SeaQuest_ team were losing the battle in the Hyperion civil war they were unwittingly drug into and that he had set off the explosives, killing them all. Where was he, he thought. He groaned in pain as he went to get up and stepped on someone.

A groggy voice yelled out into the darkness, "Ouch! Watch where you're walking!". Nathan recognized the voice immediately. It was the voice of the young man he had grown to love as his own son. He quickly kneeled down and checked to see how Lucas was doing as best as he could see in the darkness.

"Lucas, wake up!" Nathan shook him. Lucas looked up, saw his captain and the closest thing he ever had to an actual dad, and hugged him. Lucas Wolenczak, chief computer analyst aboard the _SeaQuest_, and Nathan always had a very close bond, although sometimes it was strained, just like a father-son relationship would be.

Lucas had tears running down his face. The last thing he could remember he and Dagwood were on a lifeboat on Hyperion, knowing that the _SeaQuest_ had been hulled and that Captain Bridger had set off an explosion at the Kratak base to save the planet but killing everyone inside at the same time. At first he thought they were all in some kind of afterlife, that they all had died on Hyperion, but about the same time Lucas and Nathan's vision started to clear and they realized they were at Bridger's island home.

All of a sudden, they heard sounds from more people. Apparently, the entire _SeaQuest_ crew was awakening. They were wet, confused, and scared. Nathan tried to find some place to stand to address his crew. It looked like the entire _SeaQuest_ crew was crammed into his island home.

"Everyone, don't be frightened. It appears we are at my island home. We are all alive. Somehow, someway, we all survived the Hyperion war and Tobias must've found some way to return us to Earth after we were destroyed on Hyperion," Nathan tried to reassure his crew. He knew they all had questions.

Lieutenant Lonnie Henderson, hearing a familiar voice, awoke groggily and sat up. She saw Captain Bridger trying to remain standing in a packed room of people waking up wet and confused. She looked around to see who was all there. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lucas and Dagwood and Commander Ford and Piccolo. She then noticed how packed the place was. She had barely heard Captain Bridger announce they were in his home. How could they be here? The last thing she remembered was being shot at by Kratak, the shuttle was torched, there was no way out. Nathan had placed his hand on hers and set off the explosives that demolished the base. They should've been dead. 'How are we alive?' she thought. And then another thought crossed her mind...could they really actually have 200 crewmembers all in one house?

Commander Jonathan Ford woke up with a startle at Captain Bridger's voice. He tried to jump up, but with all the people around, he toppled over onto Dagwood. The last thing he remembered was they were trying to rescue the Captain and everyone inside the Kratak base when a barrier mine hulled the _SeaQuest_. Dagwood was wide awake and caught Commander Ford.

"Dagwood has you, Commander Ford," Dagwood said, holding his friend. Dagwood didn't understand at all what was happening but was extremely happy to see his friends again. He thought they were all gone.

"Thank you, Dagwood," Commander Ford said, patting Dagwood on the arm. Dagwood immediately hugged Commander Ford.

"I'm happy to see my friends again. I thought you were all dead," Dagwood responded sullenly. "So did I, Dagwood, so did I," Commander Ford responded.

Piccolo woke up, hearing his friend Dagwood's voice. He was soaked and noticed he was bleeding. He shook his head, and looked around, seeing Captain Bridger, Commander Ford, Dagwood, Henderson, Lucas, and all the others. Just like everyone else, he was confused.

Everyone started to converse and greet each other, happy to see everyone. However, there were some people missing. Lucas was the first one to notice this. "Where is Dr. Smith and Ortiz?" he asked Captain Bridger. Nathan began to look around and noticed what Lucas was asking. Everyone looked up at Captain Bridger, looking for an explanation as to what was going on.

"Everyone, quiet! I am happy to see most of us came out of this relatively unharmed. Sadly, as Lucas has noticed, not all of us did make it. Wendy Smith, Miguel Ortiz, and James Brody died on Hyperion due to injuries suffered even before I blew the explosives. Why don't we all go out to the beach so we aren't stepping on one another and we can get our bearings?" Nathan addressed everyone.

Everyone figured this was a great idea. Slowly and patiently, they helped each other up and slowly headed out onto the beach. The island looked different. There was a lot of damage around and Lucas noticed another difference. Lucas started freaking out.

"Where's Darwin?" He ran out into the ocean looking for the dolphin who was his first friend on _SeaQuest_, the friend he helped talk to everyone with his program that translated the clicks and whistles of Darwin into human speech. It allowed Darwin and the crew to understand and communicate with each other. "Darwin!" he yelled out into the ocean before diving under the water looking for his friend. He kept coming up for air and going back down looking for his friend as people started to move towards the water.

Nathan, seeing the commotion, ran to the water. He saw Lucas frantically trying to swim around in the water, but slowly losing the battle to stay above water due to the exhaustion. "Lucas! You aren't well enough to be doing this! Get back here!" He was concerned something could happen to Lucas. Before he could enter the water, Dagwood ran out into the water and swam to Lucas. He grabbed Lucas by the waist and brought him back to the shore. Lucas had tears running down his face. "Where's Darwin? He should be here if the rest of us are here. He's dead. He's got to be dead," Lucas sobbed. Nathan kneeled down and held Lucas, trying to console him, when suddenly they heard a faint sound of a dolphin. Both Lucas and Nathan looked up and saw their friend jump out of the water and back in. At least that that mystery was solved, to the satisfaction of the both of them.

Suddenly, Commander Ford spoke up. He had been scanning the water all around the area. Almost everyone had been returned to Earth from Hyperion, so the SeaQuest had to be here too, shouldn't it? he thought. "Captain Bridger, where's _SeaQuest_?"

That was a very good question indeed. Where was _SeaQuest_?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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UEO Base - Pearl Harbor

In an office at a UEO base in Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant Denice Jackson was looking over the file of new data one of her assistants had just brought to her. It was her job to analyze the sensor data from various vessels and satellites. While she loved working at UEO Pearl Harbor, she still wished she was working where she was supposed to have been by now - on _SeaQuest_. Before _SeaQuest_ disappeared, she was assigned to work about _SeaQuest_ on the following tour as one of her science officers. Then _SeaQuest_ disappeared and Secretary General McGath figured her abilities were best employed at the UEO base in Pearl Harbor. Shaking her head to get the thoughts of her head, she returned her focus to the data sitting in front of her. Alexander Bourne didn't appear to have moved his forces to another area as of yet it looked like. There was some evidence of refugee movements but no conflicts happening. Then she spotted a group of data that piqued her interest. There appeared to be a large bioreading on an island near the Yucatan Peninsula. She turned towards her console and rechecked the sensor data herself. Sure enough, a very substantial reading was being found on that island. She quickly hacked some databases and found out who owned the island - the late Captain Nathan Bridger of SeaQuest. She reached for her vid-link and hit speed dial, dialing Secretary General McGath.

Secretary General McGath sat in his office in New Cape Quest, Florida working on some last-minute paperwork before a day long of hearings regarding new policies. He sighed as he thumbed through all the paperwork of information that was sitting on his desk. He pondered whether he should run for re-election or just finally retire. The last few years had been a bitch on humanity and with Alexander Bourne constantly a threat to the UEO and the peace they have maintained for over a decade, he just wasn't sure he wanted to stay in his position, especially if the UEO had to go to war with Macronesia. Lost in thought, he jumped when his intercom buzzed. His assistant stated that Lieutenant Jackson was on the vid-link waiting to report. He thanked her and told her to put the call through.

A beautiful brunette with stunning blue eyes in her early thirties appeared on the vid-link screen. McGath loved working with Jackson in monitoring the happenings around the world, although it saddened him some. She reminded him a lot of Lucas Wolenczak. With Mr. Wolenczak missing, presumed dead a decade ago, Lieutenant Denice Jackson was one of UEO's brightest computer and data analysts. A tremendous asset, the only person who ever surpassed her abilities was Mr. Wolenczak.

"Good morning, Secretary General McGath", Jackson said with a smile. She loved her work. Science and computers were her life. She didn't have many friends in Pearl Harbor, preferring reading a nice book than going about frivolous activities with others.

"Good morning Lieutenant. I'm pretty busy today as I have a day full of policy hearings so let's quickly cover the data you have amassed since yesterday," McGath spoke quickly.

"Sure thing, sir. Macronesia hasn't moved to claim any new territory in the last 24 hours, at least that we know of. However, there is something significant to report. In the last few hours, a situation has developed. We don't have much information yet; we are still trying to investigate it", stated Jackson.

"What situation?" McGath asked, his right eyebrow raised slightly. He was worried that Bourne was after another settlement.

"Well, our biosensors have picked up a significant reading on an island near the Yucatan Peninsula. With all the interference from solar storms, we haven't been able to really tell what is going on over there, but the biosensors are definitely picking something up."

That caught McGath's attention quickly. He set down the pile of paperwork he had in his hands and gave Jackson his full attention. "Which island would this be, Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Well, sir, from records I was able to find, the island was bought and settled over a decade ago by the late Captain Nathan Bridger," Jackson told McGath. She filled him in on all the information they had so far. McGath sat there, listening and pondering on what action should be taken.

"Lieutenant, I want you to send a reconnaissance team to that island and find out what is going on. It could either be a group of refugees or Bourne is moving to take more territory," McGath said. He hoped it wasn't Bourne up to something, but even a mass of refugees would be a bad mess too. Could just be a large pack of marine animals assembling on the beach he thought.

"Sure thing, sir. I figured you'd probably request that so I have a team already equipped and on standby to head for the island and figure out what is going on," Jackson said.

"Well done, Lieutenant. Please report back with any further information," McGath stated. He had a meeting to get to in 10 minutes so he gave the Lieutenant some further instructions to interrupt him if it was something important despite the hearings he'd be in all day. With that, they both said goodbye and McGath ended the vid-link call. He sat back and thought about it. "I hope it's nothing too major," he said under his breath as he got up to head to his first meeting.

Jackson quickly dialed the head of the reconnaissance team she had on stand-by and relayed the orders to find out what was going on on the island. They were already ready to leave and could be at the island within the hour. Something deep within her told her to also assign some medical staff to go with the team in case there was a shootout with Macronesian forces or refugees with injuries. With it being Bridger's island, a little voice in the back of her head also asked the question about whether it was possible that the significant life reading on the island could be the _SeaQuest_ team. Without any proof at all in a decade that they were dead, she never fully believed that everyone had died and the ship was lost somewhere, unable to be found. Shaking her head to get off that train of thought, she went back to work, analyzing all the data coming into the office.

About an hour later, her vid-link rang and she'd receive information that would end up changing her entire world.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

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**Yucatan Peninsula - Bridger's Island**

The launch shuttles closed in on the island near the Yucatan Peninsula. The reconnaissance team had their orders - investigate the significant bioreadings that the UEO base in Pearl Harbor had been seeing the past few hours. Looking at the sensor data the shuttle was getting, Lieutenant Commander Robert Bridger knew something big was happening on that island. He highly doubted it was an animal population. A feeling in his stomach also told him it wasn't Macronesian forces either. ETA was less than 5 minutes, and he'd be getting the shock of the lifetime when he arrived.

"We are nearing the island, team. Have your weapons ready and be ready to leave the shuttle the minute we hit the beach," the Lieutenant Commander informed his team. He informed the ensign who had been piloting the shuttle to remain there and be prepared for anything. While Bridger didn't think there would be much danger there, he wasn't going to take any chances with his team's life. He radioed the other launch shuttles and gave them similar orders.

Darwin surfaced near the dock and started chattering, which drew Captain Bridger and Lucas's attention away from the gathering of people on the beach. They had been standing there discussing what could've happened to the SeaQuest and why wasn't she nearby. Captain Bridger told Lucas to grab the vocorder so they could find out what was going on. Lucas nodded and ran up the beach to grab the vocorder from the porch. As he ran, he thought to himself that he was glad he installed the system on Bridger's island while they stayed there during the rebuilding of the SeaQuest after Bridger sent the first one into a lake of magma caused by Lucas's father's attempt to give the world free power and detonating all her nuclear weapons. He quickly grabbed the vocorder and ran back down towards the beach.

"Darwin, what's going on?" Lucas asked after running up the dock, punching a few buttons on the vocorder. He just hoped the system was still working.

"Metal boats," Darwin told Lucas. Lucas and Captain Bridger exchanged looks as to what Darwin was meaning. Henderson and Ford were nearing the dock as Lucas pushed a few more buttons and asked Darwin where they were. "Underwater heading this way," Darwin said. It was Captain Bridger who first realized Darwin meant there were shuttles on approach, just as the first shuttle hit the beach.

Three launch shuttles hit the beach a few seconds later. Soldiers began to emerge from their shuttle, weapons drawn. Ford, Henderson, and a few others immediately pulled their own weapons and pointed them at the soldiers emerging from the launch shuttles. Lieutenant Commander Bridger was the first one out and suddenly realized they were seriously outnumbered here.

"Freeze! Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air! This is a private island in UEO territory and you are trespassing!" yelled Lieutenant Commander Bridger as he jumped out of the first shuttle the minute he hit the beach with his weapon drawn. Everyone that had been chattering between each other instead of paying attention to what Bridger, Lucas, Henderson, Ford, and a few others were doing and quickly quieted, looking at the men standing before them on the beach as they heard the announcement. "I am UEO Lieutenant Commander Robert Bridger!" A man who had been kneeled down on the dock turned towards him and began to walk towards the Lieutenant Commander. Lieutenant Commander Bridger couldn't believe what he was seeing. Could he have actually just found Captain Nathan Bridger - his very own father?

Captain Bridger at first couldn't believe his ears. 'Lieutenant Commander Robert Bridger?' he thought. Lucas, who had since walked up and stood near his captain, froze too hearing the name. Captain Bridger walked up to the commander and looked him over. Could this possibly be his son who was supposedly dead? "I own this island Lieutenant Commander, we are not trespassing here," Captain Bridger stated curtly.

Lucas looked between the Captain and Lieutenant Commander several times. He noticed the Lieutenant Commander did look a lot like the Captain. He knew that Captain Bridger never knew that Robert was dead for sure as there was never a body recovered, but was it even possible that the Captain's son wasn't dead after all these years?

"The late Captain Nathan Bridger of the _SeaQuest_ owns this island," the Lieutenant Commander stated. He couldn't believe his eyes or his ears. He still wasn't sure if this was truly Nathan Bridger, his own father.

"I am Captain Nathan Bridger and as you can see, I am not dead. Now I'd like to know what you and your men are doing on my island?" Nathan was being cautious. Everyone was still confused from waking up back on Earth after the Hyperion war and he had to protect his crew. Although they only believe they were gone for a few days or weeks, they had no clue it was actually ten years later and the world believed everyone was dead.

"The UEO base in Pearl Harbor detected significant bioreadings on this island and we were sent to investigate the situation. Our last records state this island was abandoned with Captain Bridger being presumed dead after the disappearance of _SeaQuest_ ten years ago," the Lieutenant Commander spoke with the man standing in front of him. He still couldn't let himself believe that this was truly his father.

Commander Ford walked up to the party when he heard what was said. "I am Commander Jonathan Ford, XO of the _SeaQuest_. What do you mean _SeaQuest_ disappeared ten years ago?" Everyone grew even more quiet, waiting for an answer.

Lieutenant Commander Bridger couldn't believe it. Here stood both the Captain and XO of the _SeaQuest_. He looked around and recognized a few others he knew from the dossier of the crew that was onboard the _SeaQuest_ at the time of her disappearance ten years ago. He now accepted the fact that they were indeed the missing crew of _SeaQuest_. "_SeaQuest_ deviated from her course she'd been on for a day and headed for the Tonga Trench, then disappeared off all scanners and sensors. After a month of searching the oceans for the _SeaQuest_, UEO called of the search, declared the _SeaQuest_ lost at sea and all hands aboard had perished. I cannot believe you guys are actually alive!"

The _SeaQuest_ crew couldn't believe their ears. They had been missing for ten years and everyone thought they were dead. They begun to chatter amongst themselves again trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Lucas, naturally curious, spoke up before anyone else could say anything. He just had to ask the question screaming in his head. "You are Lieutenant Commander Robert Bridger? Are you Nathan Bridger's son?" Nathan looked at Lucas when Lucas finished asking the question and looked back at the man standing in front of him. He wasn't sure what to believe, but the man did look a lot like his son.

Lieutentant Commander Bridger looked at Lucas and then back to the captain. "Yes, my father is Captain Nathan Bridger, my mother was Carol Bridger." A huge smile showed up on Lucas's face. This man was indeed the captain's son. Lucas looked at Captain Bridger to see the look of shock on his captain's face. His own team were looking confused at the conversation ensuing between their leader and the few people standing in front of them.

"Robert?" Captain Bridger asked, looking at the man. He couldn't believe his ears. For a decade before they even disappeared, he believed Robert had been killed. That's what Norpac told him at least. "You're alive?"

The Lieutenant Commander kept a straight face. He knew he had a lot to explain about why the world thought he was dead, a lot of things he wasn't proud of. "Yes, father, I am," he said in a monotone voice. Everyone was dead quiet, listening to the conversation. "Now, I need to call this in. First of all," he said, then turned towards his men "Ensign, get the med team out here stat and have everyone looked over." The ensign standing behind him said yes sir and radioed for the shuttle carrying the med team to come to shore and began medical evaluation of the inhabitants of the island. The Lieutenant Commander excused himself and then turned around to head back into the shuttle he emerged from.

After he entered the shuttle, he told the ensign who had remained onboard to get him a secure vid-link to the UEO base in Pearl Harbor. He had to report to the UEO that he had found the _SeaQuest_ crew. He still couldn't believe he had found them after all these years, much less had come face to face with his own father.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

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**UEO Pearl Harbor**

Lieutenant Denice Jackson was restless as she continued her sensor data analysis while awaiting word about what her reconnaissance team found on that island. She knew it belonged to Nathan Bridger and a small part of her hoped it was good news she'd receive when Lieutenant Commander Bridger reported in on the situation. She was having a problem concentrating on the data coming in so she figured she'd have one of the other analysts monitor things for the time being. Just as she was starting to send off a message to one of the analysts in her department, her vid-link rang.

"Jackson," she said as she answered her vid-link. Lieutenant Commander Robert Bridger showed up on the vid-link. "Lieutenant Commander, I assume you are calling to report on the situation at the island?"

"Yes, Lieutenant. And you will not believe what I found," Bridger reported. Jackson looked at Bridger curiously, seeing the slightest hint of a smile on his face. While Bridger rarely showed emotion, she knew that slight hint meant it wasn't Bourne up to something nor was it some kind of marine animal population.

"What did you find, Bridger?" Jackson said, her stomach in knots. The suspense was killing her. Usually a very patient person, this situation was completely different.

"I found the _SeaQuest_ crew! Captain Nathan Bridger, Commander Jonathan Ford, Lieutenant Lonnie Henderson, Lucas Wolenczak, and others that were known to be on SeaQuest when she disappeared were all there on the island," Bridger reported. Jackson's eyes lit up.

"What? _SeaQuest_ has been found? Did you find out where they have been for the last ten years and how come they just suddenly appeared a few hours ago?" Jackson fired off questions emphatically. She didn't realize the tone of voice he used when he mentioned Nathan Bridger's name. She knew they were father and son, but she didn't know that Nathan had no clue that his son had been alive all this time. While they were close friends, whenever Denice asked about his family, Robert had always changed the subject.

"No, I was shocked to find the crew alive and wanted to report it immediately," Bridger stated. He had a lot of conflicted feelings and thoughts racing through his head at the moment. He had thought his father and the rest of the SeaQuest crew was dead, and now he knew they weren't. He knew his life going forward was going to be difficult for some time now that his father knows he had been alive all this time. "Hold on, Jackson," he quickly stated as Jackson heard some voices in the background.

Jackson waited for the Lieutenant Commander to return to the vid-link. She assumed there was some more information coming in. She heard the voices but couldn't make out what was being said. She used the time to quickly send off a priority message to Secretary General McGath to be prepared for a teleconference regarding developments upon Bridger's island. A message was received quickly after transmission that McGath will be interrupted and informed.

Bridger reappeared on the vid-link. "The med team that accompanied the reconnaissance team has looked over the crew. For the most part, they are healthy. They are all showing signs of extreme exhaustion and some crew members have some injuries but all in all they are ok," he reported. "I have another team out in the waters surrounding the island looking for _SeaQuest_ herself but so far there is no news regarding the search for the sub."

A message flashed on her vid-link stating that Secretary General McGrath was waiting to be patched in. "Bridger, hold on. Secretary General McGath is ready to be patched in to be informed of the situation." She started typing some commands and soon the vid-link screen divided to show both Bridger and McGath.

"Jackson, Bridger, what is the situation on that island?" McGath asked impatiently. The fact the hearing he was in was very important and he was pulled out of it meant there was some significant development in the situation on the island.

Lieutenant Commander Bridger was the one to speak up to address the Secretary General's question. "Sir, as you know, the data analyst division at the UEO base in Pearl Harbor had picked up a significant bioreading on an island near the Yucatan Peninsula that was owned by the late Captain Nathan Bridger of _SeaQuest_. Upon arrival at the island, the only word I could use to describe what we found is unbelieveable. Sir, the crew of _SeaQuest_ has been found. Bridger, Ford, Henderson, Wolenczak, and the rest of the crew were on the beach," Bridger reported. "Our med team has examined the crew and aside from signs of severe exhaustion and some suffering injuries, they are in perfect health." One of his team members said something in the background and he turned around quickly to receive the updated information.

McGath gasped and sat back in his chair, obviously surprised. He had believed long ago that the _SeaQuest_ crew had been killed and the ship lost at sea. After a month of searching for the _SeaQuest_ and years of people monitoring the oceans just in case they could find the _SeaQuest_ wreckage, he never thought they'd truly find them, much less alive. "I don't believe it. Ten years missing and they show up on Bridger's island? And they are all completely healthy?"

Bridger turned back towards the vid-link after conversing with his team member. "Sir, I have some additional information I just received. Apparently, not all of the crew is accounted for. There are three crew members missing: Dr. Wendy Smith, Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz, and Lieutenant James Brody are unaccounted for." Both Jackson and McGath gasped at the news. Jackson knew Brody personally from when he was in charge at the GELF colony before it went into revolt over a decade ago.

McGath stared at the vid-link. His mind was reeling with the news of the missing crew members and wondered how come they were unaccounted for. He quickly typed a message to his assistant to prepare transportation for himself to the island. "Is there any sign of _SeaQuest_ herself, Lieutenant Commander?" With everything that has happened since her disappearance, that was one of the biggest questions on his mind at the moment.

Bridger quickly consulted with his ensign who was monitoring all the sensors and returned to the vid-link. "No, sir. So far, our sensors and search teams have not been able to find any sign of the _SeaQuest_ anywhere in the vicinity of the island." That news didn't sit well with McGath at all. He needed _SeaQuest_ back and back fast before Bourne did any more damage.

"Jackson, are your sensors picking up the _SeaQuest_ anywhere in the world?" he addressed his data analyst. He knew her station could easily scan the globe in a few minutes for any signatures.

"No, sir. I have employed all our satellites to look for any signature of the _SeaQuest_ and we have not been able to find her at all," Jackson informed the Secretary General. She knew that the Secretary General wouldn't like hearing that information, but she had to give him the answer. "I have several analysts running several scans looking for her, but at this moment, there is no sign that _SeaQuest_ is anywhere."

McGath growled at that news. It wasn't good that they could not find _SeaQuest_. "Jackson, I want you to send more launch shuttles to the island. Enough to bring the entire _SeaQuest_ crew to Pearl Harbor for questioning. I want to know where _SeaQuest_ has been for the last ten years. I will be arriving in Pearl Harbor later today. I want some answers when I get there," he said curtly. He gave Jackson the particulars and she assured him someone would be there to escort him to the base. "Keep scanning for the _SeaQuest._ And Bridger, get the crew ready to be transported to Pearl Harbor." With orders given, he cut off the vid-link from his side and sat back. He couldn't believe it. The _SeaQuest_ crew had been found. But where had they been for the last ten years?

Jackson quickly got the orders compiled and issued for more launch shuttles to be sent to Bridger's island. She looked at the vid-link where Lieutenant Commander Bridger was still there. "Put me on a dedicated channel, Bridger," she stated. She wanted to make sure Bridger, the closest thing to a friend she had, was holding up ok.

Bridger put his headset on, typed in a few commands, and returned his focus back to Jackson. "What is it, Denice?"

"Robert, how are you holding up? I know it must be a complete shock to find the _SeaQuest_ crew after they've been missing for ten years, not to mention coming face-to-face with your father for the first time in over 20 years." She was worried for her friend. He never spoke about his father, so she figured there was some estrangement between the two.

"I am OK, Denice. Just shocked to have found the _SeaQuest_ crew. I haven't even begun to process the fact of coming face-to-face with my father. I don't have the time right now to deal with that aspect," he told Jackson. "I better start getting these people ready to be shipped off to Pearl Harbor for questioning. I'll see you back in Pearl Harbor." He quickly said goodbye and ended the vid-link transmission. He had a lot of work ahead of him and only about an hour to get it done before they headed back to Pearl Harbor.

Jackson sat back and thought about all the information. The _SeaQuest_ crew had been found. That means if they could find _SeaQuest_, her life would be changing dramatically, as her commission to serve upon _SeaQuest_ was still in her record so if they ever found her, she'd have to leave her home in Pearl Harbor.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. While it seems slow to start, I promise it will start picking up soon. I am trying to get out at least one chapter a day as life allows. As this is my first story to be published on here, I welcome all reviews, whether it be to ask questions about the story lines, to help improve my writing, or to just give me your opinion on the story concept so far. I do respond to all reviews privately.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

**Yucatan Peninsula - Bridger's Island**

Lieutenant Commander Bridger emerged from the launch shuttle following the vid-link conference with Jackson and McGath. He had his orders - prep the _SeaQuest_ crew for transport to the UEO base in Pearl Harbor. He had a feeling it wasn't going to be an easy task. His father wouldn't take orders from anyone, least of all him. While he hasn't spoken to his father in over 20 years, he highly doubted his father had changed at all.

He walked up to his father and looked at him. "Captain Bridger, I have spoken with Lieutenant Jackson and Secretary General McGath. Additional launch shuttles are being sent from the mainland. We are to escort you and the entire crew to the UEO base in Pearl Harbor for debriefing," he informed his father. He figured the best way to deal with the situation was remain completely professional and keep his emotions and the fact the man standing in front of him was his father out of it. He saw the questioning look in his father's eyes, knowing his father was most likely wondering why his own son led him to believe he was dead all this time, but right now was not the time to deal with it.

"Very well, Lieutenant Commander," Nathan said. While he was conflicted with emotions of finding out his son was alive after all and wondering why his son allowed him to be led to believe he was dead all these years, there was more important matters to deal with at hand. "I do have to speak to my crew. I apologize but it is _SeaQuest_ business, of which you do not have the clearance so I'd appreciate a moment with my crew before the shuttles arrive." Nathan spoke coldly and professionally. While a part of him was relieved to know his son was alive after all, he was extremely angry that his son couldn't even let him know he was alive. The Lieutenant Commander nodded and motioned for his team to leave the crew to their business.

After his son and his reconnaisance team walked back towards the shuttles, he gathered his _SeaQuest_ crew. He turned his back to the shuttles and spoke in a lower tone than he normally did. "The UEO is sending additional launch shuttles to escort us to the UEO base in Pearl Harbor for debriefing. We have a problem to face. The freedom movement on Hyperion depends on us keeping their secret. Does anyone have a problem with this?" he asked his crew. He scanned the faces of his crew. No one spoke up to dissent his assessment at all.

Lucas made a move to speak. "Captain, if the UEO plans on debriefing us on where we've been for the last ten years, what are we even supposed to say? It's just a shock to most of us that we've been gone for ten years! How do we explain disappearing?" Ford looked at Lucas and knew he was onto something. What exactly were they supposed to say?

Captain Bridger looked at Lucas and the others. "I really don't know, Lucas. To us, it hasn't been ten years. All I know is we have to protect Tobias and his friends on Hyperion." The entire crew nodded in agreement. Somehow, someway, they would find a way out of this without devulging all of the secrets from Hyperion. Ford, Henderson, Lucas, Bridger, O'Neill, and some of the others that knew the whole story knew they would be the biggest targets for interrogation by UEO brass as they made up the main inner circle upon _SeaQuest._

Lieutenant Commander Bridger stood by the shuttles. He turned to his ensign. Luckily, his ensign had learned how to read lips to a point, not to mention he did have some psychic powers. Granted, he was nowhere near the parapsychologist that the late Dr. Smith was, but he was working hard to develop his abilities. "What are you picking up, Ensign?" He couldn't overhear his father and the _SeaQuest_ crew talking, but hopefully the ensign could sign some light on what was going on with the secrecy.

The ensign watched the _SeaQuest_ crew for a few more seconds and then turned to his commanding officer. "Lieutenant Commander, I'm not picking up much. They are being careful how they position themselves so it's harder to read them. Also, I assume because of having Dr. Smith on-board, they learned how to shield themselves from psychics because I'm picking up more feeling of blocking than anything to be read. However, what I have caught onto is the fact they are shocked at the fact they've been missing for ten years. Sir, I think they believed it has only been a few weeks, not ten years, that they've been gone." The Lieutenant Commander nodded and thanked the ensign for the report. He knew his father was skeptic of people with ESP. He had heard from one woman that his father had some himself, which is probably what makes him such a good captain. He needed to figure out a way to break through all that.

While Captain Bridger was speaking with his crew and Lieutenant Commander Bridger awaited with his team for the launch shuttles, a thought came to mind of someone that might be able to get through to the _SeaQuest_ team and maybe get to the bottom of what happened ten years ago, and maybe they could also find out where _SeaQuest_ might be. Someone who knew the _SeaQuest_ team well and might know of a way to get the Captain to talk.

Just as he turned to head to his shuttle to make a vid-link call, his PAL came alive and was informed the shuttles were five minutes out. Looking to see how the _SeaQuest_ team was doing and seeing they were all quiet, he approached his father. "Captain Bridger, if you'd gather your crew, the shuttles will be arriving in less than five minutes." The captain acknowledged the information and informed his crew to be ready to board the shuttles. They all nodded and lined up on the beach, waiting for the launches. "I will be back in a few minutes, Captain. I must make a report before we head off to UEO Pearl Harbor." With that, he saluted his father and walked back to the shuttle. He informed his team to monitor the SeaQuest crew and help with getting them onto the launch shuttles. They all acknowledged the order and begun to organize the _SeaQuest_ team into sections so they could get the shuttles loaded as fast as possible.

Bridger quickly radioed ahead to the ensign who remained onboard to prep for two vid-link calls before they were to depart from Pearl Harbor. First one was to Lieutenant Jackson to inform her they'd be heading for UEO Pearl Harbor shortly and that he needed McGath to issue an order for a personnel transfer. The other was to an undersea scientific colony off the coast of Hawaii. There was someone there they needed in Pearl Harbor. He knew it just might be the key to unlocking the ten year disappearance of the _SeaQuest_ team.

"Jackson," Lieutenant Jackson answered her vid-link on the first ring. "Hey, Bridger, how's it going over there?" she asked.

"Doing ok, Jackson. The crew seems to be confused. Ensign Johnson senses they are surprised they have been missing for ten years," he informed her. He explained everything going on. Jackson chastised him for allowing Johnson to use his ESP abilities to gain information. Her main argument was about the ethnics of using such skills without permission. "Jackson, we don't have time to debate ethics of ESP and mind reading. I need you to do me a favor."

"Now what is that, Bridger? Have a better psychic on hand in Pearl Harbor to spy into these people's minds?" she snorted back. While not afraid of people with ESP abilities, she hated the types that think there's no problem with entering someone's mind without permission or those that give such orders.

"Lieutenant," Bridger stated, obviously impatient with Jackson and her snotty attitude. He didn't like what Johnson did any more than Jackson probably did, but they needed some kind of information. "I need you to make a call to McGath and get a transfer order issued. There is someone we need in Pearl Harbor that could help unlock the mystery of _SeaQuest_ disappearing. I have a feeling it's going to take someone they trust to get them to open up."

Jackson listened to what Bridger had to say. "That is probably a great idea, Bridger," she told him, pleasantly surprised at his idea. She told herself it just might actually work. She agreed to contact McGath to get the order issued and finished up the vid-link call. As she hung up, she hoped this path did reveal some information as to what happened to the _SeaQuest_ crew. She also hoped they'd find out where _SeaQuest_ was. Despite liking her job currently, she really wanted to be away from all the politics and go back to her first love - science. She put in the call to McGath and hoped he was receptive to the idea.


End file.
